Seasonality in Primates: Studies of Living and Extinct Human and Non-Human Primates

Beschreibung

Beschreibung

The emergence of the genus Homo is widely linked to the colonization of "new" highly seasonal savannah habitats. However, until now, our understanding of the possible impact of seasonality on this shift has been limited because we have little general knowledge of how seasonality affects the lives of primates. This book documents the extent of seasonality in food abundance in tropical woody vegetation. It then presents a systematic analysis of seasonality's impact in food supply on the behavioral ecology of non-human primates and ultimately applies its conclusions to primate and human evolution.

Portrait

DIANE K. BROCKMAN is Assistant Professor in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, having moved recently from Duke University, NC. Her research concerns environmental mechanisms influencing reproduction, development and life history in human and non-human primates. Current studies involve the hormonal basis of seasonal reproduction, female mate competition, male life history patterns and aging, and the metabolic costs of reproduction in females. CAREL P. VAN SCHAIK is now Professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, having also moved recently from Duke University. He studies behavioral ecology and the social evolution of primates, and is also interested in the conservation of tropical forests. His previous books include the edited works Infanticide by Males and its Implications (with Charles Janson; 2000, ISBN 0 521 77295 8) and Sexual Selection in Primates (with Peter Kappeler; 2004, ISBN 0 521 53738 X).

Pressestimmen

Review of the hardback: 'In this well structured and detailed book Brockman and Schaik discuss the major role that seasonality plays in influencing the ecology and behaviour of primate species ... I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an existing interest in primatology or evolutionary anthropology ... All in all it offers an interesting and thought-provoking read.' Hannah E. Parathian, University of Oxford